Equipment, dressing and garment wireless connectivity to a patient bed

ABSTRACT

A system comprises a patient bed having a reader to read wireless signals. In some embodiments a wound dressing has a transmitter that transmits wireless signals to the reader of the patient bed. In other embodiments, a garment has a transmitter that transmits wireless signals to the reader of the patient bed. In still further embodiments, other medical equipment has a transmitter that transmits wireless signals to the reader of the patient bed.

The present application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/073,098 which was filed Oct. 31,2014 and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to patient beds that communicate withother devices and particularly, to patient beds that communicatewirelessly with other devices. More particularly, the present disclosurerelates to patient beds that have wireless readers that read signalsfrom other patient care devices.

Patient beds having mattresses with air bladders that are inflated anddeflated so as to reduce the possibility of formation of pressure ulcersare known. Some mattresses include system to determine interfacepressures and produce pressure maps so that areas of high pressure areable to be determined. Sometimes bladders beneath the areas of highinterface pressure are deflated. However, if a pressure ulcer hasalready formed, the area of high pressure as sensed by the interfacepressure sensing system may or may not correlate to the actual locationof the wound. Wound healing is enhanced if pressure on the wound isminimized. Some known pressure minimization techniques include use ofspecialized patient support equipment and/or the placement of thepatient in awkward and uncomfortable positions.

It is also known that patients having particular medical conditions maywear particular garments. For example, patients who are at an elevatedrisk of falling sometimes wear red colored booties, or so-called “redsocks,” on their feet so that caregivers are able to quickly identifysuch patients as falls risks. Some hospital beds are able to implement afalls risk protocol by monitoring whether one or more siderails of thebed are in a raised position, monitoring whether a height of an upperframe of the bed relative to a base frame or floor is in a loweredposition, and/or monitoring whether one or more casters of the bed arebraked. Some beds may also have a bed exit or patient positionmonitoring (ppm) system enabled as part of a falls risk protocol so thatan alarm or alert is generated in response to a patient exiting the bedor attempting to exit the bed or otherwise moving in the bed by athreshold amount.

Use of wireless communication equipment is becoming more common onpatient beds. Accordingly, use of such equipment to improve uponpressure reduction capabilities of patient beds and to improve uponimplementation of falls risk protocols would be appreciated bycaregivers. Use of wireless communication equipment on a patient bed forother purposes such as insuring proper compatibility of the bed with theparticular type of patient or with other types of equipment may also bedesirable.

SUMMARY

The present application discloses one or more of the features recited inthe appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in anycombination, may comprise patentable subject matter:

According to an aspect of this disclosure, a system may include apatient bed that may have at least one reader to receive wirelesssignals. The patient bed may also have a mattress that may include aplurality of inflatable sections and a pneumatic system that may controlinflation of the plurality of inflatable sections. The system mayfurther include a wound dressing that may have a transmitter that mayemit a wireless dressing signal that may be read by the reader. Thepneumatic system may adjust mattress inflation in response to receipt ofthe wireless dressing signal by the at least one reader.

The pneumatic system may, for example, adjust mattress inflation bydeflating a first inflatable section of the plurality of inflatablesections. It is contemplated that the first inflatable section may belocated beneath the wound dressing. The pneumatic system may deflatemultiple inflatable sections in a vicinity of the mattress beneath thewound dressing in some embodiments. The deflation of the multipleinflatable sections may be by different amounts.

In some embodiments, the at least one reader may include a matrix ofreaders. The patient bed may include control circuitry that maydetermine an X coordinate and a Y coordinate with respect to the bed ofthe location of the wound dressing. A graphical display may be coupledto the control circuitry and may show a graphical representation of thelocation of the wound dressing. The graphical representation may includean image of a patient and the location of the wound dressing may besuperimposed on the image of the patient. The image of the patient maycomprise a pressure map.

In some embodiments, the plurality of inflatable sections of themattress may include a matrix of inflatable sections. Each reader of thematrix of readers may correspond to a respective inflatable section ofthe plurality of inflatable sections. The at least one reader maycomprise a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and thetransmitter may comprise a component of an RFID tag. Alternatively oradditionally, the at least one reader may comprise a near fieldcommunication (NFC) reader and the transmitter may comprise a componentof an NFC tag.

According to this disclosure, the dressing may include a pressure sensorand the transmitter may be signaled to emit the wireless dressing signalin response to the pressure sensor sensing that the wound dressing isbearing a threshold amount of weight. The wireless dressing signal mayinclude data indicative of a wound type on which the dressing is beingused. The pneumatic system may adjust mattress inflation differentlydepending upon the wound type. The wireless dressing signal may includedata indicative of a location on a patient's body at which the wounddressing is placed.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, a system may include abed that may have at least one reader to receive wireless signals andthat may have a patient position monitoring system that, when in anenabled state, may alarm in response to at least one of the following: apatient exiting the bed or a patient moving toward exiting the bed by athreshold amount. The system may further include a garment that may havea transmitter that may emit a wireless garment signal that may be readby the reader. The patient position monitoring system may change from adisabled state to an enabled state in response to receipt of thewireless garment signal by the at least one reader.

In some embodiments, the garment may comprise at least one sock that maybe worn by a patient. For example, the sock may be color coded toindicate that the patient may be a falls risk. The sock may be colorcoded red if desired.

In some embodiments, the bed may include a brake sensor to sense whetherat least one caster of the bed is braked. The bed may further havecontrol circuitry that may be configured to implement a fall preventionprotocol in response to receipt of the wireless garment signal by the atleast one reader. The fall prevention protocol may include initiating analert if the brake sensor indicates that the at least one caster is notbraked.

Alternatively or additionally, the bed may include at least one siderailposition sensor to sense whether at least one siderail of the bed is ina raised position. The bed may further have control circuitry that maybe configured to implement a fall prevention protocol in response toreceipt of the wireless garment signal by the at least one reader. Thefall prevention protocol may include initiating an alert if the at leastone siderail position sensor indicates that the at least one siderail isnot in the raised position.

Further alternatively or additionally, the bed may include at least oneframe position sensor to sense whether an upper frame of the bed is in alowered position. The bed may further have control circuitry configuredto implement a fall prevention protocol in response to receipt of thewireless garment signal by the at least one reader. The fall preventionprotocol may include initiating an alert if the at least one frameposition sensor indicates that the upper frame is not in the loweredposition.

In some embodiments, the system may further include a computer devicethat may be remote from the bed. The bed may include a brake sensor tosense whether at least one caster of the bed is braked. The bed mayfurther have bed circuitry and the bed circuitry may send to thecomputer device brake status data that may indicate whether the at leastone caster is braked. The bed circuitry may also send to the computerdevice notification data that may indicate that the reader has receivedthe wireless garment signal. The computer device may be configured toimplement a fall prevention protocol in response to receipt of thenotification signal. The fall prevention protocol may include initiatingan alert if the brake status data indicates that the at least one casteris not braked.

Alternatively or additionally, the system may further include a computerdevice that may be remote from the bed. The bed may include at least onesiderail position sensor to sense whether at least one siderail of thebed is in a raised position. The bed may further have bed circuitry andthe bed circuitry may send to the computer device siderail status datathat may indicate whether the at least one siderail is raised. The bedcircuitry may also send to the computer device notification data thatmay indicate that the reader has received the wireless garment signal.The computer device may be configured to implement a fall preventionprotocol in response to receipt of the notification signal. The fallprevention protocol may include initiating an alert if the siderailstatus data indicates that the at least one siderail is not in theraised position.

Further alternatively or additionally, the system may further include acomputer device that may be remote from the bed. The bed may include atleast one frame position sensor to sense whether an upper frame of thebed is in a lowered position. The bed may further have bed circuitry andthe bed circuitry may send to the computer device frame status data thatmay indicate whether the upper frame is in the lowered position. The bedcircuitry may send to the computer device notification data that mayindicate that the reader has received the wireless garment signal. Thecomputer device may be configured to implement a fall preventionprotocol in response to receipt of the notification signal. The fallprevention protocol may include initiating an alert if the frame statusdata indicates that the upper frame is not in the lowered position.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a systemfor determining if medical equipment is entering or exiting through adoorway of a room in a healthcare facility is provided. The system mayinclude a first passive tag that may emit a first wireless signal. Thefirst passive tag may be mounted adjacent the doorway outside the room.The system may also include a second passive tag that may emit a secondwireless signal. The second passive tag may be mounted adjacent thedoorway inside the room. The system may further include a piece ofmedical equipment that may have circuitry to receive the first andsecond wireless signals. The circuitry may be configured with softwarethat determines that the piece of medical equipment is entering the roomif the first wireless signal is received prior to the second wirelesssignal being received and that determines that the piece of medicalequipment is exiting the room if the second wireless signal is receivedprior to the first wireless signal being received.

In some embodiments, the system may further include a third passive tagthat may emit a third wireless signal that may include roomidentification data. The circuitry may also receive the third wirelesssignal. In some embodiments, the system may further include a thirdpassive tag that may emit a third wireless signal that may includepatient identification data. The circuitry also receiving the thirdwireless signal. Embodiments in which one additional tag may emit awireless signal that may have room ID data and another additional tagmay emit a wireless signal that may have patient ID data arecontemplated by this disclosure and the circuitry of the bed may receivethe signals from one or both of the additional tags.

In some embodiments, the piece of medical equipment may comprise apatient bed. The system may further include a third passive tag that mayemit a third wireless signal that may include room identification data.The circuitry may also receive the third wireless signal and thesoftware may make a bed-to-room association that may be communicatedfrom the patient bed to at least one remote computer device.Alternatively or additionally, the third passive tag may emit a thirdwireless signal that includes patient identification data. The circuitrymay also receive the third wireless signal and the software may make abed-to-patient association that may be communicated from the patient bedto at least one remote computer device. Further alternatively oradditionally, the third passive tag may emit a third wireless signalthat may include mattress identification data. The circuitry may alsoreceive the third wireless signal and the software may make abed-to-mattress association that may be communicated from the patientbed to at least one remote computer device.

In some embodiments, the system further includes a second piece ofmedical equipment that may carry a third passive tag that may emit athird wireless signal that may include device identification data. Thecircuitry may also receive the third wireless signal and the softwaremay make a bed-to-device association that may be communicated from thepatient bed to at least one remote computer device.

According to still a further aspect of this disclosure, a system mayinclude a patient bed that may include a reader. The patient bed mayalso include a weigh scale system that may be operable to measure aweight of a patient. The system may further include a patientidentification (ID) transmitter to be worn by a patient. The patient IDtransmitter may transmit a wireless signal that may be read by thereader. The system also may include a computer that may be remote fromthe patient bed. The patient bed may transmit to the computer patient IDdata that may be determined from the wireless signal. The patient bedmay transmit weight data that may correspond to the weight of thepatient. The computer may initiate a first alert if the weight dataindicates that the patient weighs more than a weight rating of thepatient bed.

In some embodiments, the system may further include a patient lift thatmay have a lift ID transmitter that may transmit a lift ID. The lift IDmay be read by the reader of the patient bed and may be transmitted tothe computer. The computer may initiate a second alert if the weightdata indicates that the patient weighs more than a weight rating of thelift.

The alerts mentioned above may comprise a transmission to a wirelesscommunication device of an assigned caregiver and/or an alert message ona display of the computer. Furthermore, the alerts mentioned above maycomprise any one or more of the following: an audible alert, a visualalert, or a tactile alert.

According to this disclosure, the system may further include a mattressand a mattress ID transmitter may be associated with the mattress. Themattress ID transmitter may transmit a mattress ID that may be read bythe reader of the patient bed. The patient bed may transmit the mattressID to the computer. The computer may initiate an alert if the mattressis not suitable for the patient based on pressure ulcer risk assessmentdata associated with the patient. The pressure ulcer risk assessmentdata may be received by the computer from another computer, for example.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a system foruse with an electronic medical records (EMR) computer is provided. Thesystem may include a patient bed that may include a reader. The systemmay have a patient identification (ID) transmitter to be worn by apatient. The patient ID transmitter may emit a wireless signal that maybe read by the reader. The system may further have a computer that maybe remote from the patient bed and that may be remote from the EMRcomputer. The patient bed may transmit to the computer patient ID datathat may be determined from the wireless signal. The computer mayreceive from the EMR computer weight data corresponding to the weight ofthe patient. The computer may initiate a first alert if the weight dataindicates that the patient weighs more than a weight rating of thepatient bed.

In some embodiments, the computer may transmit the patient ID data tothe EMR computer. In some embodiments, the system may further include apatient lift that may have a lift ID transmitter that may transmit alift ID. The lift ID may be read by the reader of the patient bed andmay be transmitted to the computer. The computer may initiate a secondalert if the weight data indicates that the patient weighs more than aweight rating of the lift.

According to this disclosure, the alerts just mentioned may comprise atransmission to a wireless communication device of an assigned caregiveror an alert message on a display of the computer. Furthermore, thealerts just mentioned may comprise one or more of the following: anaudible alert, a visual alert, or a tactile alert.

In some embodiments, the system may further includes a mattress and amattress ID transmitter may be associated with the mattress. Themattress ID transmitter may transmit a mattress ID that may be read bythe reader of the patient bed. The patient bed may transmit the mattressID to the computer. The computer may initiate a second alert if themattress is not suitable for the patient based on pressure ulcer riskassessment data associated with the patient. The pressure ulcer riskassessment data may be received by the computer from the EMR computer,for example.

Additional features, which alone or in combination with any otherfeature(s), such as those listed above and/or those listed in theclaims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparentto those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode ofcarrying out the embodiments as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wound dressing transmitting awireless signal toward a patient bed, showing a graphical display of thepatient bed displaying a location of the wound dressing on a pressuremap of the patient, and showing falls prevention socks arranged forcoupling to the patient's feet with one of the falls preventions sockshaving a tag transmitting a wireless signal toward the patient bed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but showing another wounddressing at another location on the patient's body;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the circuitry of the patient bedincluding one or more radio frequency identification (RFID)/near fieldcommunication (NFC) Interrogators/Transceivers in communication with oneor more patient, equipment, dressing, red socks, and location RFID/NFCtags;

FIG. 4 is another block diagram showing six passive RFID tags thatcommunicate with an RFID reader of the patient bed; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a wound dressing having a pressuresensor and transmitter that is signaled by a logic circuit to transmit awireless signal in response to the pressure sensor sensing a thresholdamount of weight bearing on the wound dressing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a patient bed 10 includes an inflatablemattress or surface 12 having a plurality of wireless interrogators ortransceivers 14. Transceivers 14 include receivers or readers as well astransmitters. However, in some embodiments, bed 10 includes a pluralityof readers without any transmitters. Thus, the discussion below ofembodiments of bed 10 having transceivers 14 is equally applicable tobeds 10 having readers (or receivers) rather than transceivers unlessspecifically noted otherwise. Each transceiver 14 is situated within orbeneath an associated inflatable section 16 of mattress 12. In someembodiments, the inflatable sections 16 are bladders or cells, forexample, that are arranged in columns in a longitudinal dimension (i.e.,head end to foot end) of bed 10 and that are arranged in rows in alateral dimension (i.e., side to side) of bed 10. Thus, the sections 16and transceivers 14 form an X-Y grid or matrix when mattress 12 isviewed from above.

In the illustrative example, there are eleven bladders 16 in thelongitudinal dimension of mattress 12 and four bladders 16 in thelateral dimension of mattress 12. Thus, the X-Y grid is either a 4 by 11grid or an 11 by 4 grid of bladders, as desired, in the illustrativeexample. Of course, X-Y grids or matrices having other numbers ofbladders 16, and corresponding transceivers 14, greater than or lessthan four and/or greater than or less than eleven are within the scopeof this disclosure. Furthermore, while the illustrative bladders 16 havegenerally square-shaped cross sections in horizontal planes, bladdershaving other cross-sections such as circular, rectangular, triangular,hexagonal, octagonal, and even irregular-shaped are within the scope ofthis disclosure as are combinations of these.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, a patient 18 is suspended above anupper surface of mattress 12 for ease of illustration and discussion. Adressing or bandage 20 is applied to a pressure ulcer of the patient 18or to a region that is at risk of developing a pressure ulcer(hereinafter referred to collectively as a “pressure ulcer region”). Inthe illustrative example, the pressure ulcer region and therefore, thedressing 20, are located on the patient's left buttock. However, thislocation of dressing 20 is simply one example of a typical high pressurelocation at which pressure ulcer regions occur on a patient. Otherlocations include the patient's heels, sacral region, scapula, andocciput. That is, pressure ulcer regions of the patient 18 are typicallyassociated with portions of the patient's body having bony protuberancesbut this is not always the case.

According to this disclosure, dressing 20 includes a wirelesstransmitter 22 such as one that is included in a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag or a near field communication (NFC) tag.Because RFID tags and NFC tags are well-known in the art, referencenumber 22 is used in the Figs. for purposes of denoting all types ofwireless transmitters as well as RFID tags and NFC tags. In someembodiments, the RFID/NFC tags 22 are passive tags that respond bytransmitting or emitting wireless identification (ID) data in responseto a signal sent by transceivers 14. The reception range of tags 22 isshort range, such as on the order of about 10 centimeters (cm), in someembodiments. In other embodiments, transmitters 22 are activetransmitters that periodically transmit or emit the wireless ID data. Insuch embodiments, bed 10 need only have receivers rather thantransceivers 14.

In use, transceivers 14 send out interrogation signals periodically and,in response to receipt of the interrogation signals, transmitter 22 ofdressing 20 responds by transmitting the ID data. One or more oftransceivers 14 receive this ID data transmitted from dressing 20. Thisprocess is sometimes referred to as a “handshake.” If only one oftransceivers 14 receives the ID data, then that particular transceiver14 or cell 16 is designated as the zero point (x, y coordinates) of thewound or pressure ulcer region on the X-Y grid. If more than onetransceiver 14 receives the ID data, then the zero point (x, ycoordinates) is determined by averaging the X-Y grid coordinates of theindividual transceivers 14 or cells 16 that receive the ID data.

Still referring to FIG. 1, bed 10 includes a graphical user interface(GUI) 24 that, in the illustrative example, displays a pressure map 26having colored regions that are indicative of the interface pressurebetween the patient 18 and mattress 12. Pressure map 26 also providesinformation about pressure gradients between the patient 18 and mattress12. The pressure map 26 is generated based on pressure readings frompneumatic pressure sensors associated with each of cells 16 in someembodiments, for example. Alternatively or additionally, the pressuremap 26 is generated based on pressure readings from a sensor layer (notshown) that is placed between the patient 18 and mattress 12. Suchpressure sensor layers are known in the art. See for example, U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,010,772; 5,253,656; 6,585,328; and 8,272,276 which are herebyincorporated by referenced herein to the extent not inconsistent withthe present disclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies. Instill other embodiments, pressure sensors are included on or near theupper surfaces of cells 16 and the readings from such sensors are usedin generating pressure map 26. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,735which is hereby incorporated by reference herein to the extent notinconsistent with the present disclosure which shall control as to anyinconsistencies.

In other embodiments, some other type of image of the patient 18 isshown on the GUI 24 in lieu of or in addition to the pressure map. Forexample, a generic patient avatar is used as the image in someembodiments. Superimposed on the pressure map 26 or other patient imageis an icon 28 that indicates the location of dressing 20 on the patient18. The location of icon 28 on the pressure map 26 corresponds to thex-y coordinates or zero point of the dressing 20 as determined by the IDdata received by one or more of transceivers 14 from transmitter 22 ofdressing 20.

In FIG. 1, the location of icon 28 on pressure map 26 is in the regionof the patient's left buttock which corresponds to the actual locationof dressing 20 on patient 18 in FIG. 1. In contrast, in FIG. 2, icon 28on pressure map 26 appears in the region of the patient's left thighwhich corresponds to the actual location of dressing 20 on patient 18 inFIG. 2. Also in FIG. 2, each transceiver 14 of mattress 12 isillustrated as being located in a base layer or region of mattress 12rather than up in individual cells 16 of mattress 12 as is the case inFIG. 1. As indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 3, a further variant is tohave the transceivers 14 located outside of the mattress 12 altogether,such as being mounted to a patient support deck of bed 10 which supportsmattress 12.

Regardless of the location of transceivers 14, once the zero pointlocation of the dressing 20 relative to the associated X-Y grid oftransceivers 14 is determined, pressures within certain bladders 16 ofmattress 12 are adjusted. For example, in some embodiments, a cell 16directly beneath dressing 20 is deflated by some amount. The amount ofdeflation is dependent upon mattress geometry but suffice it to say thatthe target pressure for the cell 16 beneath dressing 20 is reduced froma first target pressure to a second target pressure.

In some embodiments, one or more of the cells 16 adjacent to the cell 16that is directly beneath the dressing 20 are also deflated by someamount, but not as much as the “zero point” cell 16 in some embodiments.For example, if the “zero point” cell is deflated by an amount delta,the next adjacent cells are deflated by ½ delta in some embodiments.Fractions above and below ½ delta are, of course, within the scope ofthis disclosure. Also, cells 16 that are situated diagonally from thecorners of the “zero point” cell are deflated at delta fractionsdifferent than those of the cells that are directly longitudinallyadjacent and directly laterally adjacent to the “zero point” cell insome embodiments. In a variant embodiment, only those cells 16associated with transceivers 14 that perform a handshake withtransmitters 22 of dressing 20 are deflated from a first target pressureto a second target pressure, which second target pressures may vary fromcell to cell depending upon distance from the zero point cell 16 ifdesired. Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that theinterface pressure between the patient 18 and mattress 12 is reduced asa result of deflation of the cells 16 that are in the immediate area ofthe wound dressing 20 as determined by the communication betweentransceivers 14 and transmitters 22 of dressing 20.

It is also within the scope of this disclosure for the amount ofpressure reduction (e.g., cell deflation) to be controlled based on thetype and/or stage of the wound on which dressing 20 is used. Theinformation regarding the type and/or stage of the wound is entered intothe control system of bed 10 or mattress 12 by a caregiver in someembodiments, such as by use of GUI 24. Alternatively or additionally,the information regarding the type and/or stage of the wound isdownloaded to the control system of bed 10 or mattress 12 from a remotecomputer, such as a computer of an electronic medical records (EMR)system in other embodiments. In still other embodiments, the ID dataemitted by transmitter 22 of dressing 20 includes data that indicatesthe type and/or stage of the wound that bandage 20 covers. Alternativelyor additionally, the ID data emitted by transmitter 22 indicates thelocation of dressing on the patient 18. For example, a dressing 20configured for use on a patient's heel emits data different than adressing configured for use on a patient's sacral region, just to give acouple examples. Thus, dressings 20 that are designated for wounds ofspecific types and/or stages and/or locations are within the scope ofthis disclosure and are selected by caregivers so that the proper typeof ID data is transmitted to the transceivers 14 of bed 10 from dressing20. Examples of types of wounds include burns, pressure ulcers,lacerations, and avulsions, just to name a few. Examples of stages ofwounds include, for example, first degree burns, second degree burns,third degree burns, stage I pressure ulcers, stage II pressure ulcers,stage III pressure ulcers, and stage IV pressure ulcers, just to name afew.

Further according to this disclosure, a microclimate management (MCM)layer of mattress 12 is controlled depending upon the location ofdressing 20, the type of wound, and/or the stage of wound. In FIG. 3,mattress 12 is shown diagrammatically as including an MCM layer 30.However, MCM layers are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. PatentApplication Publication Nos. 20100274331; 20100325796; 20110024076;20130298330; 20140059766 and 20140196210; each of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein to the extent not inconsistent with thepresent disclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies.

With regard to localized MCM systems (e.g., those that are able to heator cool a specific region of a patient's body), the temperature orthermal heat exchange to or from the region of the patient 18 at whichdressing 20 is located is controlled differently than at other regionsof the patient's body in some embodiments according to this disclosure.For example, some types of wounds at some stages may benefit fromlocalized cooling whereas other types of wounds at other stages maybenefit from localized heating. With regard to airflow type of MCMsystems (e.g., those that move temperature and/or humidity controlledair through a layer beneath the patient 18 at controlled volumes and/orflow rates), the temperature and/or humidity and/or volume and/or flowrate of the air through the entire MCM layer, or through a localizedportion of the layer beneath dressing 20, is controlled based on woundlocation, wound type, and/or wound stage. For example, some types ofwounds at some stages may benefit from slow moving, warm, moist air andother types of wounds at other stages may benefit from fast moving,cool, dry air, just to provide a couple of examples.

When it is stated that a wound “may benefit from” some particular set ofparameters, it is intended to mean that wound healing is enhanced by theset of parameters. Control of all combinations and permutations of theabove-referenced MCM parameters in the region beneath dressing 20 topromote wound healing is within the scope of this disclosure. In stillother embodiments, it is contemplated that the MCM feature is disabledin the region beneath dressing 20 and enabled in other regions away fromthe location of the wound. All combinations of MCM control and pressurecontrol (e.g., bladder 16 deflation), as described above, are alsocontemplated by this disclosure.

Thus, bed 10 includes a pneumatic system 32 which is controlled bycontrol circuitry 34 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 34. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that pneumatic systems andcontrol circuitry of patient beds are complex in nature and that theseare shown in the present disclosure in a simplified rudimentary manner.However, additional details of one example of such a pneumatic systemand control circuitry for a patient bed can be found in SERVICE MANUAL,Progressa™ Bed, From Hill-Rom, © 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein to the extent not inconsistent with the presentdisclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies. It will beappreciated that it is the addition of the transceivers 14 to the bed 10and/or mattress 12 as well as the other components (e.g., dressing 20)that communicate with transceivers 14 which are the primary focus of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, an alternative dressing 20′ is showndiagrammatically in which a pressure sensor 36, logic 38, and battery 40are included in addition to transmitter 22. Also shown diagrammaticallyin dressing 20′ in FIG. 5 are padding 42 and peripheral adhesive 44 butthese are inherent in the contemplated dressings anyway. According tothis disclosure, transmitter 22 of dressing 20′ does not transmit any IDdata until pressure sensor 36 senses that dressing 20 is bearing athreshold amount of weight as determined by logic 38. For example, logic38 includes a comparator circuit in some embodiments and when a voltageoutput by pressure sensor 36 exceeds a preset voltage level, transmitter22 is signaled by circuit 38 to transmit the ID data. In some suchembodiments, pressure sensor 36 comprises a force sensitive resistor(FSR), piezoresistive sensor, or capacitive type sensor with a voltageoutput that varies depending upon the amount of applied weight.

In other embodiments, pressure sensor 36 comprises a contact switch. Insuch embodiments, when a threshold amount of weight is applied to theswitch, contact is made between switch elements so that the switchchanges from an open or off state to a closed or on state. Some sort ofbias element such as a spring, foam pad, rubber pad or othercompressible element is provided between the switch elements in someembodiments to establish the amount of weight that must be applied tothe switch element before contact therebetween is made. Once contact ismade between the switch element, current flows through the switch tologic circuit 38 which, in turn, signals transmitter 22 to emit the IDdata from dressing 20′.

Regardless of the type of pressure sensor 36 used, pressure and/or MCMadjustments to mattress 12 are made only if the patient 18 moves to aposition in which dressing 20′ bears the threshold amount of weight inthe embodiments in which dressing 20′ is used. For example, if a patientis lying on his or her side with no weight, or very little weight,bearing on dressing 20′, there is no need to make adjustments tomattress 12 for purposes of promoting wound healing (e.g., butadjustments may still be made for other reasons). However, if a patientrolls into a position in which dressing 20′ becomes weight bearing, thetransmission of ID data from transmitter 22 of dressing 20′ signalscircuitry 34 via transceivers 14 to control pneumatic system 32 in theappropriate manner as describe above to make the adjustments to mattress12 to promote wound healing.

It is within the scope of this disclosure that a historical database ofclinical wound data, such as wound location, type and/or stage, as wellas types of dressing 20, 20′ used and the duration of use of each duringtreatment of the patient's wound(s), is maintained in control circuitry34 of bed 10 in some embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some orall of this same information is communicated for storage via a network82 to one or more remote computer devices 84 as shown diagrammaticallyin FIG. 3. Thus, bed 10 has a communication port or module 83 as showndiagrammatically in FIG. 3 for communication of data to and from bed 10.In some embodiments, port 83 is a cable connector, such as a 37-pinconnector port which is well known in the art. Alternatively oradditionally, module 83 includes wireless communication circuitry suchas circuitry for WiFi or RF communications (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee,802.11, etc.).

Remote computer devices 84 include an EMR computer, for example.Analysis of the historical data is useful in implementing furtherpressure control protocols and regimens of mattress 12 during thepatient's stay to prevent additional pressure ulcers from developing.Furthermore, accumulation of this historical data for a number ofpatients allows for subsequent analysis to determine pressure controlprotocols and regimens for mattress 12 for future patients and to makepredictions regarding potential pressure ulcer development for futurepatients so that preventative measures are taken ahead of time to reducethe likelihood for pressure ulcer development for future patients.

Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of socks 46 or booties areshown adjacent the patient's feet. Socks 46 are so-called “red socks”that are worn by patients who are determined to be falls risks. However,unlike the prior art “red socks,” socks 46 include transmitters 48 thatemit wireless signals including socks or garment ID information thatidentify the patient as a falls risk. Transmitters 48 are included aspart of an RFID tag or an NFC tag in some embodiments. Furthermore,although each of socks 46 is shown as including a respective transmitter48 in the illustrative example, it is within the scope of thisdisclosure for only one of socks 46 to include transmitter 48 and, itmatters not whether it is the left sock or right sock that includestransmitter 48, as long as one of transceivers 14 of bed 10 is able tocommunicate wirelessly with the transmitter 48.

For patients who are falls risks, caregivers sometimes manuallyimplement a falls risk protocol in connection with an associated patientbed. For example, one falls risk protocol for a patient bed requiresthat casters of the bed are braked, that siderails of the bed are in araised position, that a bed exit/ppm system of the bed is armed, andthat an upper frame of the bed is in a lowered position relative to abase frame of the bed. So, in keeping with such a protocol in theillustrative example, bed 10 has a brake sensor 50 to sense whethercasters 52 of bed 10 are braked or released, siderail position sensors54 to sense whether respective siderails 56 of bed 10 are in raisedpositions or lowered positions, a bed exit/ppm system 58 to sensewhether the patient had exited the bed 10 and/or to sense the patient'sposition in bed 10 to determine if the patient is moving toward exitingthe bed, and a low position sensor 60 to sense a position of an upperframe 62 of bed 10 relative to a base frame 64 of bed 10. Sensors 50,54, 60 and system 58 are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3 and thecorresponding structures 52, 56, 62, 64 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Insome embodiments, sensor 60 comprises multiple sensors, such aspotentiometers or rotary encoders, that are included in linear actuatorsof a lift system (not shown) of bed 10. Linear actuators having suchsensors 60 are well known in the art.

According to the present disclosure, control circuitry 34 of bed 10implements the falls risk protocol for bed 10 automatically in responseto any one or more of transceivers 14 receiving socks ID data from oneor both of transmitters 48 of garments 46. Furthermore, in someembodiments, bed 10 notifies one or more remote computer devices 84 vianetwork 82 that the remote falls risk protocol has been implementedautomatically at bed 10. If the one or more of remote computer devices84 receiving the notification from bed 10 also have a falls riskprotocol, that too is implemented automatically in response to thenotification from bed 10. See U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,386 which is herebyincorporated by reference herein to the extent not inconsistent with thepresent disclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies for anexample of a nurse call computer which implements a Fall Prevention(e.g., falls risk) protocol.

In connection with implementing the falls risk protocol automatically,control circuitry 34 of bed 10 automatically enables or arms the bedexit/ppm system of bed 10 so that an alarm is generated if the patientexits the bed and/or moves toward exiting the bed by a threshold amount.If any of the other aspects of bed 10 that are monitored in connectionwith the falls risk protocol are not in compliance with the protocol, analert is generated by circuitry 34 of bed 10 and/or by remote computerdevice 84. Such an alert may include an audible or visual alert, such asa message displayed on GUI 24 to notify a caregiver of any conditionsthat are out of compliance with the falls risk protocol and that need tobe rectified. For example, in FIG. 1, two of the siderails 56 of bed 10are in the lowered position and so a message on GUI 24 stating; “Raisethe Left Foot Rail and Raise the Left Head Rail” is an example of asuitable alert message. Messages pertaining to the other monitoredconditions are, of course, within the scope of this disclosure. Suchalert messages are also displayed on remote computer device 84 and/orsent from computer device 84 to wireless communication devices carriedby assigned caregivers in some embodiments. See U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,386which is already incorporated by reference herein for examples of suchwireless communication devices that are carried by caregivers who areassigned to specific patients.

If a caregiver in the room rectifies a condition that is out ofcompliance, a message is sent from bed 10 to computer device 44 and thealert at device 84 is canceled and any wireless communication devicescarried by assigned caregivers is also notified that the alert conditionhas been rectified. GUI 24 also ceases to display the associated alertmessage when the alert condition is rectified. It will be appreciatedthat the automatic implementation of the falls risk protocol by bed 10and/or computer device 44 is also indicated on any screens of GUI 24 andcomputer device 44, such as whiteboard screens, status screens, and soforth using suitable icons and/or messages.

In some embodiments, bed exit/ppm system 58 of bed 10 includes loadcells that are also used to measure a weight of the patient 18 that ispresent on bed 10. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,208,250; 6,438,776; 6,924,441and 7,253,366 which are hereby incorporated by reference herein to theextent not inconsistent with the present disclosure which shall controlas to any inconsistencies for examples of weigh scale systems of patientbeds. According to this disclosure, after system 58 of bed 10 takes aweight reading of the patient 18 supported on bed 10, circuitry 34and/or one or more of the remote computer devices 84 compares thepatient's weight reading to a weight rating of bed 10. If the patient'sweight exceeds the weight rating of bed 10, an alert is provided on GUI24 of bed 10, at computer device(s) 84, and/or on the wirelesscommunication devices carried by caregivers to notify one or morecaregivers that the patient is too heavy for bed 10. Alternatively oradditionally, if system 58 determines that the patient's weight plus theweight of any equipment carried on bed 10 (e.g., IV pumps, therapydevices, physiological monitoring devices, ventilation equipment, andthe like) exceeds the weight rating of bed 10, then a similarnotification is provided. In response, caregivers are able to assign thepatient 18 to a more suitable bed that has a higher weight rating.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3, the patient 18 wears a patient IDtag 66, such as illustrative patient RFID or NFC tag 66. Such a tag 66is included as part of a wrist band in some embodiments as indicateddiagrammatically in FIG. 4. According to this disclosure, as patient 18approaches bed 10, one or more of transceivers 14 receives a wirelesssignal from the transmitter of tag 66 that identifies the patient.Circuitry 34 of bed then retrieves information about patient 10,including patient weight information, from one or more of the remotecomputer devices 84 via network 82 and communication module or port 83.For example, an EMR computer 84 typically includes patient weightinformation. If the patient's weight information exceeds the weightrating of bed 10, then an alert is provided on GUI 24 of bed 10, atcomputer device(s) 84, and/or on the wireless communication devicescarried by caregivers to notify one or more caregivers that the patientis too heavy for bed 10. Thus, in this example, the notificationregarding the patient exceeding the weight rating of bed 10 is able tooccur prior to the patient getting onto bed 10.

Also according to this disclosure, various pieces of equipment haveequipment ID tags 68, such as illustrative equipment RFID or NFC tag 68shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3, attached thereto. It is contemplatedthat circuitry 34 of bed 10 and/or one or more of remote computerdevices 84 check the compatibility of the equipment identified by tags68 with bed 10, patient 18, or both. To give one example, patient liftswith slings are sometimes used to transfer patients from a patient bedto some other type of patient support apparatus such as a stretcher orwheelchair or is used to transport the patient from the patient bed to abathroom, for example. Based on the ID data emitted from the equipmenttag 68 of a particular patient lift and received by one of transceivers14 of bed 10, circuitry 34 of bed 10 retrieves information from one ormore remote computer devices 84 regarding the weight capacity or ratingof the lift. Alternatively or additionally, circuitry 34 includes itsown database or lift weight ratings. If the circuitry 34 determines thatthe weight of the patient on bed 10, either as measured by system 58 ofbed 10 or as indicated by weight information retrieved by circuitry 34from one or more of devices 84, exceeds the weight rating of the lift,then an alert is provided on GUI 24 of bed 10, at computer device(s) 84,and/or on the wireless communication devices carried by caregivers tonotify one or more caregivers that the patient is too heavy for the liftthat is in the vicinity of bed 10. Thus, in this example, thenotification regarding the patient exceeding the weight rating of thelift is able to occur prior to the patient being loaded onto the lift.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4, one equipment tag 68′ is attachedto an IV pump 70 and another equipment tag 68″ is attached to mattress12. Circuitry 34 of bed 10 and/or one or more of remote computer devices84 is able to assess the compatibility of mattress 12 with bed 10 and/orpatient 18 based on information about mattress 12 that is determinedfrom the mattress ID information transmitted by tag 68″ and received byone or more transceivers 14 of bed 10. For example, if mattress 12 has asize (e.g., thickness, length, and/or width) that would result in anundesirable gap being created between the mattress 12 and any ofsiderails 56, a headboard 72, or footboard 74, or if the patient'sweight exceeds a weight rating of mattress 12, then an alert is providedon GUI 24 of bed 10, at computer device(s) 84, and/or on the wirelesscommunication devices carried by caregivers to notify one or morecaregivers that the patient is too heavy for the lift that is in thevicinity of bed 10.

As another example, if patient 18 has particular pressure ulcer riskassessment data or other risk profile data stored in one or more remotecomputer devices 84, then the compatibility of mattress 12 with patient18 is determined based on mattress ID data from tag 68″ in someembodiments. Thus, mattress ID transmitter 68″ transmits a mattress IDthat is read by one or more of readers 14 of bed 10. Circuitry 34 of bed10 then transmits the mattress ID to one or more computer devices 84 viacommunication port or module 83 and network 82, and the one or morecomputer devices 84 initiate an alert if mattress 12 is not suitable forthe patient 18 based on the pressure ulcer risk assessment data, orother risk profile data, associated with the patient 18. In someembodiments, the pressure ulcer risk assessment data and/or other riskprofile data is provided to one or more computer devices 84 from an EMRcomputer 84. Alternatively or additionally, the EMR computer device 84is the computer device that assesses the compatibility of mattress 12for patient 18.

Transceivers 14 of bed 10 are also used in connection with determiningthe location of bed 10 within a health care facility. The contemplatedsystem uses passive location tags 76, 76′, 76″ as shown diagrammaticallyin FIGS. 3 and 4. Thus, the contemplated locating system is lessexpensive than known prior art locating systems because tags 76, 76′,76″ do not require batteries or require extra wires to be routed througha facility. However, due to the short range nature of the passive tags76, 76′, 76″, at least one of transceivers 14 of bed 10 needs to be inrelatively close proximity (e.g., about 10 cm) for communications to beestablished. When bed 10 is in use in a patient room supporting patient18, a head end of bed 10 is usually very close to a room wall 78 (or toa head wall unit mounted to room wall 78) as indicated diagrammaticallyin FIG. 4. Thus, the location ID data from tag 76 correlates to the roomlocation. If the room is a semi-private room in which two patient bedsare located, then two tags 76 are provided, one at each of the tworespective room locations which are oftentimes designated as an “A”location and a “B” location (e.g., room 101-A and room 101-B). One ormore of transceivers 14 near the head end of bed 10 receives thelocation ID data from tag 76 and circuitry 34 of bed 10 communicates thebed ID and location ID via communication module or port 83 and network82 to one or more remote computer devices 84 which maintain a databaseof bed-to-room associations based on the bed ID and location ID data.

Further according to this disclosure, entry of bed 10 into a patientroom and exit of bed 10 from a patient room is determined by use of tags76′, 76″. As is evident in FIG. 4, tag 76′ is mounted adjacent a roomdoorway 80 outside the room and tag 76″ is mounted adjacent doorway 80inside the room. As bed 10 enters the room, the wireless signal from tag76′ will be received by one of transceivers 14 of bed 10 slightlyearlier in time than the wireless signal from tag 76″ will be received,likely by another one of transceivers 14 of bed 10 since tags 76′, 76″are on opposite sides of doorway 80 in the illustrative example. If tags76′, 76″ were situated on the same side of doorway 80, but still withtag 76′ outside of the room and with tag 76″ inside of the room, then itwould be more likely that the same transceiver 14 of bed would receivethe wireless signals from tags 76′, 76″ as the bed enters or exits theroom. There is only a small amount of clearance between the sides ofpatient beds and the doorways in healthcare facilities and sotransceivers 14 near the sides of bed 10 will pass sufficiently close totags 76′, 76″ for communications to be established therebetween.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 34 of bed 10 is configured withsoftware that determines that bed 10 is entering the room if thewireless signal from tag 76′ is received prior to the wireless signalfrom tag 76″ being received and that determines that bed 10 is exitingthe room if the wireless signal from tag 76″ is received prior to thewireless signal from tag 76′ being received. In such embodiments,circuitry 34 of bed 10 has a database with information regarding theID's of tags 76′ that are located outside of the various rooms and theID's of tags 76″ that are located inside of the various rooms.Alternatively or additionally, one or more remote computer devices 84include the software that determines whether bed 10 is entering orexiting a room based on the sequence that transceivers 14 of bed 10receive wireless signals from tags 76′, 76″. It is within scope of thisdisclosure for the locations of other pieces of equipment or devices tobe determined using tags 76, 76′, 76″ in a similar manner as describedabove in connection with bed 10 as long as such other pieces ofequipment or devices have readers, receivers, or transceivers 14 likethose of bed 10 and have wireless communication capability similar tothat provided by circuitry 34 and communication module 83 of bed 10.

Based on the foregoing, it will be appreciated that transceivers 14 ofbed 10 communicate with transmitters of equipment tags (e.g., tag 68),garment tags (e.g., tag 48), dressing tags (e.g., tag 22), patient tags(e.g., tag 66), and location tags (e.g., tag 76) as well as others(e.g., tags 68′, 68″, 76′, 76″). Circuitry 34 of bed 10 sends ID datafrom each of these tags, along with bed ID, to one or more remotecomputer devices 84. Thus, it is within the scope of this disclosure forthe one or more remote computer devices to maintain a database ofassociations between any and all of these ID's as desired and at thediscretion of the system programmer. Thus, a mattress-to-patient-to-IVpump-to-bed-to-location-to-dressing-to-red socks association could bemade if desired, just to give one example.

Also according to this disclosure, the duration that one or more oftransceivers 14 of bed 10 are in communication with any of equipmenttags 68 or other tags disclosed herein is tracked by circuitry 34 and/orone or more computer devices 84 for purposes of determining age, usagehours, cleaning cycles, clean/dirty status, functioning/broken status,and the like. The usage of the equipment is compared to establishedprotocols in some embodiments to determine compliance with theprotocols. For example, if dressing 20 is supposed to be changed every12 hours according to a protocol, then it can be determined that theprotocol was violated if bed 10 was in communication with a particulardressing for, say, 14 hours, just to give one example.

Although certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detailabove, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit ofthis disclosure as described and as defined in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising a bed having at leastone reader to receive wireless signals and having a patient positionmonitoring system that, when in an enabled state, alarms in response tosignals from one or more sensors on the bed other than the readerindicating at least one of the following: a patient exiting the bed or apatient moving toward exiting the bed by a threshold amount, and agarment worn by a patient and having a transmitter that emits a wirelessgarment signal that is read by the reader, the patient positionmonitoring system changing from a disabled state to an enabled state inresponse to receipt of the wireless garment signal by the at least onereader.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the garment comprises at leastone sock that is worn by a patient.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinthe sock is color coded to indicate that the patient is a falls risk. 4.The system of claim 3, wherein the sock is color coded red.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the bed includes a brake sensor to sensewhether at least one caster of the bed is braked, wherein the bedfurther comprises control circuitry configured to implement a fallprevention protocol in response to receipt of the wireless garmentsignal by the at least one reader, and wherein the fall preventionprotocol includes initiating an alert if the brake sensor indicates thatthe at least one caster is not braked.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe bed includes at least one siderail position sensor to sense whetherat least one siderail of the bed is in a raised position, wherein thebed further comprises control circuitry configured to implement a fallprevention protocol in response to receipt of the wireless garmentsignal by the at least one reader, and wherein the fall preventionprotocol includes initiating an alert if the at least one siderailposition sensor indicates that the at least one siderail is not in theraised position.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the bed includes atleast one frame position sensor to sense whether an upper frame of thebed is in a lowered position, wherein the bed further comprises controlcircuitry configured to implement a fall prevention protocol in responseto receipt of the wireless garment signal by the at least one reader,and wherein the fall prevention protocol includes initiating an alert ifthe at least one frame position sensor indicates that the upper frame isnot in the lowered position.
 8. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a computer device remote from the bed, the bed including abrake sensor to sense whether at least one caster of the bed is braked,the bed further comprising bed circuitry, the bed circuitry sending tothe computer device brake status data indicating whether the at leastone caster is braked, the bed circuitry sending to the computer devicenotification data indicating that the reader has received the wirelessgarment signal, the computer device being configured to implement a fallprevention protocol in response to receipt of the notification signal,and the fall prevention protocol including initiating an alert if thebrake status data indicates that the at least one caster is not braked.9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer device remotefrom the bed, the bed including at least one siderail position sensor tosense whether at least one siderail of the bed is in a raised position,the bed further comprising bed circuitry, the bed circuitry sending tothe computer device siderail status data indicating whether the at leastone siderail is raised, the bed circuitry sending to the computer devicenotification data indicating that the reader has received the wirelessgarment signal, the computer device being configured to implement a fallprevention protocol in response to receipt of the notification signal,and the fall prevention protocol including initiating an alert if thesiderail status data indicates that the at least one siderail is not inthe raised position.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising acomputer device remote from the bed, the bed including at least oneframe position sensor to sense whether an upper frame of the bed is in alowered position, the bed further comprising bed circuitry, the bedcircuitry sending to the computer device frame status data indicatingwhether the upper frame is in the lowered position, the bed circuitrysending to the computer device notification data indicating that thereader has received the wireless garment signal, the computer devicebeing configured to implement a fall prevention protocol in response toreceipt of the notification signal, and the fall prevention protocolincluding initiating an alert if the frame status data indicates thatthe upper frame is not in the lowered position.
 11. The system of claim1, further comprising a first passive tag that emits a first wirelesssignal, the first passive tag being mounted adjacent a doorway outside aroom, a second passive tag that emits a second wireless signal, thesecond passive tag being mounted adjacent the doorway inside the room,and the bed having circuitry to receive the first and second wirelesssignals, the circuitry being configured with software that determinesthat the bed is entering the room if the first wireless signal isreceived prior to the second wireless signal being received and thatdetermines that the bed is exiting the room if the second wirelesssignal is received prior to the first wireless signal being received.12. A system comprising a bed having at least one reader to receivewireless signals and having a patient position monitoring system that,when in an enabled state, alarms in response to at least one of thefollowing: a patient exiting the bed or a patient moving toward exitingthe bed by a threshold amount, a garment having a transmitter that emitsa wireless garment signal that is read by the reader, the patientposition monitoring system changing from a disabled state to an enabledstate in response to receipt of the wireless garment signal by the atleast one reader, wherein the bed includes a mattress including aplurality of inflatable sections and a pneumatic system to controlinflation of the plurality of inflatable sections, and a wound dressinghaving a transmitter that emits a wireless dressing signal that is readby the at least one reader, the pneumatic system adjusting mattressinflation in response to receipt of the wireless dressing signal by theat least one reader.
 13. A system comprising a bed having at least onereader to receive wireless signals and having a patient positionmonitoring system that, when in an enabled state, alarms in response toat least one of the following: a patient exiting the bed or a patientmoving toward exiting the bed by a threshold amount, a garment having atransmitter that emits a wireless garment signal that is read by thereader, the patient position monitoring system changing from a disabledstate to an enabled state in response to receipt of the wireless garmentsignal by the at least one reader, wherein the bed includes a weighscale system operable to measure a weight of the patient, a patientidentification (ID) transmitter to be worn by the patient, the patientID transmitter transmitting a wireless signal that is read by the atleast one reader, and a computer that is remote from the bed, the bedtransmitting to the computer patient ID data that is determined from thewireless signal, the bed transmitting weight data corresponding to theweight of the patient, the computer initiating a first alert if theweight data indicates that the patient weighs more than a weight ratingof the bed.
 14. A system comprising a bed having at least one reader toreceive wireless signals and having a patient position monitoring systemthat, when in an enabled state, alarms in response to at least one ofthe following: a patient exiting the bed or a patient moving towardexiting the bed by a threshold amount, and a garment having atransmitter that emits a wireless garment signal that is read by thereader, the patient position monitoring system changing from a disabledstate to an enabled state in response to receipt of the wireless garmentsignal by the at least one reader, an electronic medical records (EMR)computer, a patient identification (ID) transmitter to be worn by thepatient, the patient ID transmitter emitting a wireless signal that isread by the at least one reader, and a computer that is remote from thebed and remote from the EMR computer, the bed transmitting to thecomputer patient ID data that is determined from the wireless signal,the computer receiving from the EMR computer weight data correspondingto the weight of the patient, the computer initiating a first alert ifthe weight data indicates that the patient weighs more than a weightrating of the bed.
 15. A system comprising a bed having at least onereader to receive wireless signals, the bed further comprising amattress including a plurality of inflatable sections and a pneumaticsystem to control inflation of the plurality of inflatable sections, anda wound dressing having a transmitter that emits a wireless dressingsignal that is read by the at least one reader, the pneumatic systemadjusting mattress inflation in response to receipt of the wirelessdressing signal by the at least one reader.
 16. A system comprising abed having at least one reader to receive wireless signals, the bedfurther comprising a weigh scale system operable to measure a weight ofa patient supported on the bed, a patient identification (ID)transmitter to be worn by the patient, the patient ID transmittertransmitting a wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader,and a computer that is remote from the bed, the bed transmitting to thecomputer patient ID data that is determined from the wireless signal,the bed transmitting to the computer weight data corresponding to theweight of the patient, wherein the computer initiates a first alert ifthe weight data indicates that the patient weighs more than a weightrating of the bed.
 17. A system comprising a bed having at least onereader to receive wireless signals, an electronic medical records (EMR)computer, a patient identification (ID) transmitter to be worn by apatient, the patient ID transmitter emitting a wireless signal that isread by the at least one reader, and a computer that is remote from thebed and remote from the EMR computer, the bed transmitting to thecomputer patient ID data that is determined from the wireless signal,the computer receiving from the EMR computer weight data correspondingto the weight of the patient, wherein the computer initiates a firstalert if the weight data indicates that the patient weighs more than aweight rating of the bed.